Friday, April 25, 2014

Chevrolet announced today the 2015 Corvette Stingray will be available in two new Design Packages: the Atlantic luxury convertible and the Pacific performance coupe. They go on sale later this year with the rest of the 2015 Corvette Stingray lineup.

“One of the design goals for the Corvette Stingray was to provide customers with the flexibility to tailor the car to their personality,” said Kirk Bennion, Corvette exterior design manager. “The Atlantic and Pacific Design Packages were originally designed to showcase how the Stingray could be configured as a luxury sport GT car or as a high-performance motorsport car.”

The Corvette Stingray Atlantic convertible and Corvette Stingray Pacific coupe concepts were introduced last fall at the SEMA Show. A strong response from enthusiasts helped influence production. They are the latest Chevrolet concepts from SEMA that made concept to reality. Several Camaros, such as the Hot Wheels edition, and the Sonic Dusk are now in production.

“We plan to make news with the Corvette Stingray every year, in part by offering special-edition models that offer a unique, personal ownership experience,” said Todd Christensen, Corvette marketing manager. “Our customers have told us they appreciate these limited-edition models, which have become an important part of the Corvette’s legacy.”

Luxury GT-focused Atlantic Convertible
The 2015 Corvette Stingray Atlantic Design Package is inspired by the luxury and performance of private jets seen at European vacation destinations. Offered exclusively on Z51-equipped convertibles, it is available in 2LT or 3LT trims, with the following unique features and content:

The Atlantic Design Package is available in all colors offered on the Corvette Stingray.

Track-focused Pacific Coupe
The 2015 Corvette Stingray Pacific Design Package is inspired by West Coast drivers who attend weekend track events. It is offered exclusively as a Z51-equipped coupe, in 2LT and 3LT trims, with the following unique content:

As with other 2015 models, Corvette’s new Performance Data Recorder is available on the Atlantic and Pacific, as well as an all-new eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission. A seven-speed manual transmission is standard.

The Performance Data Recorder combines the ability to record and share drive videos with the power of a professional-level telemetry system. With included software, users can analyze their laps to improve their driving and lap times. The system includes a high-definition camera integrated into the interior’s rearview mirror assembly.

The new paddle-shift eight-speed is designed to deliver world-class shift times that rival the best dual-clutch designs, and is expected to contribute up to 5-percent greater efficiency, when compared to the previous six-speed automatic. EPA estimates are pending.

The National Corvette Museum (NCM), over 1,000 Corvette
enthusiasts and the community of Bowling Green gathered to celebrate the first
official sponsorshipof the NCM Motorsports
Park. Michelin, a global tire
manufacturer, has committed to a three-year sponsorship deal.The sponsorship will name Michelin as the official tire of
the NCM Motorsports Park and will provide the company with product privileges
and displays at both the Museum and Park. Michelin will also serve as the presenting sponsor for three
events to be held at the NCM and Motorsports Park during the term of the
contract.“Michelin is pleased to extend our relationship with the
Corvette community to include the exciting new NCM Motorsports Park,” said Silvia
Mammone, motorsports and sponsorship marketing manager, Michelin North America.
“Since the Michelin technical partnership with Corvette
Racing began in 2004, we have developed a strong relationship with Corvette
owners and enthusiasts through the Corvette car corrals, the Ron Fellows
Driving School at Spring Mountain, and more recently the National Corvette
Museum,” said Mammone. “The fact that every new Corvette C7 Stingray and ZO6
Corvette now rolls out of Bowling Green exclusively on Michelin tires aligns
perfectly with the launch of the NCM Motorsports Park and our growing
relationship with the Corvette Nation.”

The NCM broke ground on the $25 million, 184-acre,
dual-track Motorsports Park in June of 2013 and the venue is expected to
attract more than 80,000 visitors each year. This will bring an estimated
impact of $15 million in motorsports tourism and racing events revenues.“In 2008 we purchased our first piece of land for a future
motorsports park, and in 2013 we held our groundbreaking ceremony.During that 5-year period our fundraising was
primarily grassroots efforts – with key support from Corvette and automotive
enthusiasts including individuals, clubs and small business owners,” stated
Wendell Strode, Executive Director of the NCM. “This sponsorship from Michelin
gives the project a big boost of momentum.We are excited about the opportunities a partnership between Michelin,
the Motorsports Park and the Museum will bring.”In addition to the two circuits that combine to form a high
speed loop of 1.96 miles to an extended 3.15 mile course, the park will also
feature a control tower with classrooms, offices and meeting spaces; garages; a
fueling station; overnight camping; and commercial property available for
businesses that complement the operations of the park.

“The National Corvette Museum has been a staple in the
Bowling Green community since it first opened its doors and continues to be a
contributor to the local economy attracting 150,000 visitorsannually. Not only will the addition of the Motorsports
Park increase the significant economic impact on the community, but the
additional services and venues that will be available at the park will further the
value of the region as an automotive hub. We are proud to be home to America’s
Sports Car,” stated John Mark Fones, Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce Board
Chairman.

To date, there are already more than 130 days booked at the
track in the first year.

“In addition to the opportunities this sponsorship brings to
the Motorsports Park, Museum and Michelin, we look forward to also working with
Michelin as a customer at the Park for possible product launches, testing and
consumer activities,” stated Mitch Wright, Motorsports Park General Manager.

The park is accepting reservations for car and motorcycles
clubs, businesses, driving schools and other groups for racing events, high
performance drivers’ education, corporate events and hospitality and other track
functions. All makes and models are welcome.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Last Tuesday, team members involved with the National Corvette Museum’s sinkhole recovery and remediation met to discuss the future of the Skydome and construction plan moving forward. Presentations were made of all of the findings, from drillings, to microgravity readings, and the WKU cave and karst team’s exploration into the hole.

Dr. Jason Polk with WKU shared that the void discovered beneath the Skydome extended in two directions– one leading from the Skydome towards the Museum’s truck parking lot, and the other leading from the Skydome towards the pond. Both cave areas start approximately 50 feet underground. According to Dr. Polk, “You don’t typically have sinkholes without caves or voids of some type below them, so this finding was not surprising.” He also indicated that in our area of Kentucky we drive through and around sinkholes and caves every day, with some types of sinkholes even being miles wide. There are dozens of known, mapped caves in the Bowling Green city limits, and over 200 documented caves in Warren County.

Dr. Polk stated that they found mineral deposits which are indicative of dry conditions in the northern extension of the cave. This information means that this portion of our cave is likely thousands of years old and has been there since long before the Museum was constructed. The cave also probably hasn’t had flowing water in a very long time.

The team reviewed the construction documentation from the original building and Skydome. Prior to construction of the building a geo-technical test was completed in accordance with normal standards. They found nothing to indicate any problems. “Normally if there is enough rock, it doesn’t matter what is below it,” said Danny Daniel of Scott, Murphy & Daniel Construction. Daniel also indicated that rebar was not required in the concrete flooring of the Skydome. “It’s no different than the floor of your garage at home. Rebar was not needed to support the weight of the cars in the Skydome,” he added. [EDITORS NOTE: SMD Construction did not build the original portion of the Museum]

The team thinks that our sinkhole was caused by the collapse of a portion of a cave roof, although they are still compiling data. Several things could have caused this, including the extra weight from clay soils above the roof becoming saturated from heavy rain. The team stressed that there is no reason for anyone to be any more concerned for safety here than any other area prone to significant karst development and sinkhole collapse, and it is important to note that much of Bowling Green/Warren County is located in just such an area.

Dr. Polk and Dr. Leslie North, also with WKU Center for Cave and Karst Studies, will be conducting a presentation on Saturday, April 26 at 3:15pm CT on the sinkhole collapse and how it happened. The presentation will be in the Museum's Conference Center.

Moving forward the team is exploring ways to rebuild the Skydome floor. One such plan includes drilling with micro piles then adding beams to ensure the Skydome floor is fully secure. The Museum is also exploring various ideas, which would in some way preserve a portion of the sinkhole, helping to tell the story of what is now Museum and Corvette history. “We will continue to explore these ideas as the process has not moved along far enough to know if keeping a portion of the hole is feasible or not,” said Wendell Strode, Executive Director of the Museum. “The interest in our sinkhole and the rescued Corvettes has been more than expected, and our attendance for March was up 56% over March of last year,” Strode added. “Our special display focusing on this event is now open in our Exhibit Hall. Current plans are to keep the cars on display as they are so that guests through the summer and especially the thousands attending our 20th Anniversary Celebration will have a chance to see the cars and witness the sinkhole for themselves.”

On Thursday the Museum received a donation of a 40th Anniversary “Ruby Red” Corvette. Lynda Patterson of Louisville, Kentucky donated her car in response to the news of the sinkhole swallowing another “Ruby.” The complete release on Ms. Patterson’s car donation is available online here.

Representatives from GM will be meeting with the NCM next month to inspect each of the Great 8 and determine which ones are appropriate to be restored. The Corvettes that are not restored will be kept on permanent display as part of preserving and telling the story of the February 12th Sinkhole Collapse.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

On February 12, 2014, a catastrophic sinkhole opened up at
the National Corvette Museum (NCM) and swallowed in it eight rare Corvettes.
Since then, a diverse team of professionals has been working together with the
NCM, led by Scott, Murphy, & Daniel, LLC Construction, to assess and
remediate the collapse. As part of this effort, Western Kentucky University
(WKU) and project partners are collecting data to research
the various environmental factors contributing to the cause and evolution of
the sinkhole, as well as monitoring the area during the remediation. These
types of collapse features are common in karst regions, like south-central
Kentucky, where water flows underground and forms caves and voids as it
dissolves away the bedrock.

Since water flowing underground is part of the process of
sinkhole development over geologic time, and often difficult to research since
it exists underground, a method to monitor stormwater and groundwater in karst
regions that can capture high-resolution data about water movement is
necessary. Recently, YSI, Incorporated designed a new, submersible water
monitoring sonde, the EXO II, which is capable of capturing and logging
high-resolution (every 10 minutes in this case), continuous data for several
parameters, including water depth, pH, temperature, specific conductivity,
turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and others. This logger provides everything from
Bluetooth accessibility to real-time monitoring capabilities with additional
peripheral devices that are available, and can be used in wells, streams, or
any other water monitoring location.

Through a partnership between WKU’s Center for Water
Resource Studies (WKU CWRS), Fondriest Environmental, YSI Incorporated, the
City of Bowling Green Public Works Department, and the National Corvette
Museum, one of these EXO II sondes outfitted with multiple water parameter probes
was loaned to WKU CWRS for use at the NCM sinkhole site. The sonde is being
used to monitor water in an adjacent pond area that serves to collect runoff
and exists as a perched water feature, which can provide information as work
continues of any changes in the water from the drilling process and storms that
could pose a threat to the remediation process. This monitoring provides an
additional measure of safety and data collection to help understand the dynamics
of the sinkhole and its natural formation processes.

The data collected through this monitoring project will
support efforts by K&S Engineering, Hayward Baker Incorporated, EnSafe, Scott,
Murphy & Daniel, LLC, DDS Engineering, and other project partners in their collective work
to remediate the sinkhole. It will simultaneously provide invaluable scientific
information to WKU CWRS’s research on sinkhole processes and karst landscape
evolution.

Dr. Jason Polk (Director, WKU CWRS) and his graduate
student, Dan Nedvidek, are using these sondes in other locations in the City
and elsewhere to monitor stormwater runoff and measure water quality and other
parameters related to karst hydrology. Collectively, these data provide a new,
advanced method by which the study of karst processes and hydrogeology can be
studied to inform our understanding of groundwater and associated karst
features, like sinkholes. Dr. Polk said, “Partnerships like this one with
Fondriest and YSI are the essence of collaborative scientific research, and
allow us the capabilities to collect data and quickly put together information
to inform how to move forward in situations like this one. It’s a great benefit
to be able to use new, advanced equipment that will lead the way for future research
in this field and others.”

Special thanks to Paul Nieberding (Fondriest Environmental)
and Brandon Smith (YSI, Incorporated) for their assistance in making this
project possible.

For more information please contact: Dr. Jason Polk (jason.polk@wku.edu), at 270-745-5015, or
@ProfJasonPolk on Twitter.

On February 12, 2014, Lynda Patterson began getting phone
calls and texts from friends and family about a sinkhole that opened up at the
National Corvette Museum. She watched on television as the news broke showing
video and still images of the cars that had fallen. Her heart sank as she
locked right in on the 40th Anniversary Corvette sticking tail up
from the debris. As the owner of a 40th Anniversary Corvette
herself, it was almost like looking at her own car.

“It was quite a shock,” Lynda said. “Seeing that other Ruby
in the hole made me think that maybe I should give ours to the Museum soon. Almost
twenty years ago my husband Mike and I designated that our Ruby would go to the
National Corvette Museum anyway. He died in 2012 after being diagnosed with a
brain tumor a year earlier.” Thinking that he’d approve of giving the car to
the Museum earlier instead of later, she made the call and asked if they wanted
it. “The people at the Museum were very excited about having her. It made me
feel good that the people there would be taking care of her.”

This wasn’t easy to do. When she showed up on April 17, 2014
to make it official, she had to fight back happy tears, often losing as she was
overcome with emotion. “This is bitter-sweet. I’m so glad she’s coming here and
will be enjoyed by so many.”

The Patterson’s bought the car 22 years ago. They had seen it
in the showroom of Bob Smith Chevrolet and Lynda instantly fell in love with
it. “I asked Mike what he thought about it it and he said, ‘If you want it, get
it and take it home.’”They had a 1991
black Corvette at the time that Mike called his “Batmobile” but he was fine
with trading it in on the beautiful new Vette.

They enjoyed Corvette events in it, including a gathering of
40th Anniversary Corvettes a few years ago at the Museum. Getting
teary eyed Lynda says, “Some people may not get why I’d be so emotional about
it, but it is more than a car… it is memories.”

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

The last of the "Great 8" Corvettes has been pulled from the depths of the 40 foot wide by 60 foot deep sinkhole that collapsed within the Skydome building of the National Corvette Museum exactly eight weeks ago, marking the end of the first phase of rebuilding.

"We're happy to have the completion of our major goal to recover all eight of the Corvettes," said Wendell Strode, Executive Director of the Museum. "Next week we have a meeting with all the major players, including the construction team, geo-technical firm, cave and karst specialists, engineers, our insurance company and others to review all the findings and have discussions on the next steps and a mutual understanding about rebuilding."

The 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 was one of two Corvettes that's whereabouts were initially unknown after the sinkhole happened. The car was finally discover this Monday, upside down with the nose pointing towards the red Spire in the center of the room. It is, by far, the most heavily damaged of all eight Corvettes.

"It looks like the worst one... a lot of parts and pieces," said Mike Murphy, CEO of Scott, Murphy and Daniel Construction. "It took a lot of punishment from a lot of big rocks."

The Mallett Hammer was donated to the Museum this past December by Kevin and Linda Helmintoller of Land O' Lakes, Florida, Lifetime Members of the Museum and previous R8C Museum Delivery participants. Upon hearing the car had been located, Kevin traveled to Kentucky to witness the rescue operation. "I expected bad, but it's 100 times worse," he said. "It looks like a piece of tin foil... and it had a roll cage in it! It makes all the other cars look like they're brand new."

Strode had forewarned Helmintoller that the car would be in bad shape and he might not want to watch the recovery process. "Honestly though, I'm still glad I'm here because I would have never believed it was this bad. I'm not positive I would have recognized it - there are just a few little pieces that give it away."

Helmintoller added that he sent pictures of the damaged car to his engine builder, who (jokingly) was quick to point out that the motor was not covered under warranty.

Kevin and Linda spent 13 years modifying the Corvette, a car they purchased new in 2001. The Mallett Hammer conversion was completed in June 2002 and since then has had many AntiVenom LSX Performance modifications with the car boasting 700hp with 575 torque at the flywheel. The car's speed achievements helped it score a cover of GM High Tech Performance magazine.

"We donated this car to the Museum to help with the continued growth, but also because it could be a good vehicle for training other drivers at the new NCM Motorsports Park," Helmintoller said in December upon donating the car.
A “Great 8” display will officially open next week in the Museum’s Exhibit Hall and the sinkhole Corvettes will be available for viewing, as-is, through the Museum’s 20th Anniversary Event August 27-30, 2014.

Monday, April 7, 2014

An eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission will be offered in the
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray for 2015, enhancing the performance and efficiency
of the 2014 North American Car of the Year. Designed and built by GM, the new
transmission delivers world-class shift times that rival the best dual-clutch
designs.

The all-new,
GM-designed 8L90 eight-speed is expected to contribute up to 5-percent greater
efficiency, when compared to the previous six-speed automatic. EPA fuel economy
test results are pending and will be announced later. It also makes the Corvette Stingray one of the few sports cars to offer
the choice of a conventional manual transmission or an eight-speed automatic.

“Corvette Stingray’s new eight-speed automatic
delivers the comfort and drivability of a true automatic transmission, as well
as lightning-fast shifts and the manual control that enhance the
performance-driving experience,” said Bill Goodrich, assistant chief
engineer for eight-speed automatic transmissions. “It was designed to enhance the Stingray’s driving experience,
with performance on par with dual-clutch designs, but without sacrificing
refinement.”

The available 8L90 transmission is based on the same eight-speed
automatic that will be offered on the supercharged 2015 Corvette Z06, but with
unique clutch and torque converter specifications matched to the torque
capacity of the Stingray’s LT1 6.2L naturally aspirated engine.

For performance driving, the transmission offers
full manual control via steering wheel paddles. A new transmission-control
system andunique algorithms deliver shift
performance that rivals the dual-clutch/semi-automatic transmissions found in
many supercars – but with the smoothness and refinement that comes with a
conventional automatic fitted with a torque converter.

The transmission controller analyzes and executes
commands 160 times per second. Wide-open throttle upshifts are executed up to
eight-hundredths of a second quicker than those of the dual-clutch transmission
offered in the Porsche 911.

Smaller steps between gears, compared to the previous
six-speed automatic, keep the engine within the sweet spot of the rpm band, making
the most of its horsepower and torque to optimize performance and efficiency.

With four gearsets and five clutches, creative
packaging enables the new eight-speed automatic to fit the same space as the previous
six-speed automatic. Extensive use of aluminum and magnesium make it more than
eight pounds, or 4 kg, lighter than the six-speed. Design features that reduce
friction contribute to the expected 5-percent greater efficiency.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

In less than a week, the 1.5 Millionth Corvette has gone
from location unknown to being dug out from the depths of the sinkhole… regaining
its status as a display car in the National Corvette Museum on Thursday.

While methods of probing the mounds of dirt in the sinkhole and
the use of metal detectors were

unsuccessful in finding the milestone Corvette,
it was the retrieval process of the Spyder that yielded signs of the first of the
two missing cars. “We had no idea where
it was, we just happened upon it,” Mike Murphy, CEO of Scott, Murphy and Daniel
Construction said.

Upon the removal of the Spyder, the team began working to
free the 1.5 Millionth. Initial attempts
to pull the car free were to no avail as a large rock appeared to be wedging
the rear of the car in the dirt.

“Originally, we thought we had to remove the boulder itself
to free the vehicle,” said Zach Massey, Project Manager with Scott, Murphy and
Daniel Construction, “But we were able to free the 1.5 without addressing the boulder
as it turned out it was not directly resting on the car, which was a great
advantage to us.”

Wednesday afternoon the team was able to successfully free
the car, with final removal from the sinkhole taking place Thursday
morning. “While the car appears to be in
really rough condition, most of the major components are still there and provides
a great base to work off of,” said Adam Boca of the NCM Insurance Agency and a
member of the Museum’s Display Committee.

The National Corvette Museum was given the opportunity to
purchase the milestone car brand new to preserve its place in history. It was built in Bowling Green, KY on May 28,
2009 and is a white convertible with red interior, a small nod to the first 300
Corvettes built in 1953 in Flint, MI – all being white convertibles with red
interiors. The 1.5 Millionth is fully
loaded with the 3LT Preferred Equipment Group, Z51 Performance Package, Dual
Mode Performance Exhaust, Navigation, 6-Speed Automatic Transmission with
Paddle Shift and has a 6.2L V8 engine boasting 430 hp.

The final Corvette to be removed is the 2001 Z06 with
Mallett Hammer conversion. “The rest of the day will be spent probing and excavating
the area to find any signs of the Mallett Hammer,” said Murphy.

The “sinkhole Corvettes” will come together for a special
display in the Museum’s Exhibit Hall through August 3, after which time they
will be moved into the restored Skydome where they will remain on display,
as-is, through the Museum’s 20th Anniversary Event August 27-30,
2014.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Last week, the construction team began the tedious process of removing dirt from the sinkhole in hopes of recovering the two missing Corvettes, and to unearth the ZR-1 Spyder which previously only had a portion of the left rear quarter visible. With the aid of a heavy duty vacuum and excavating equipment, the team struck gold - or rather fiberglass - on Friday, March 28 with the discovery of the 1.5 Millionth Corvette.

"When we started digging around the Black Spyder, we found a piece of white fiberglass underneath it and we continued to expose that until we saw that it was the 1.5 Millionth car," said Mike Murphy, CEO of Scott, Murphy and Daniel Construction. "We had no idea where it was, we just happened upon it. We hope when we move the white car we find the red car that way, because we've just not had any luck detecting where it is." Murphy indicated that they have utilized metal detectors as well as probing rods, and that they remove layers of dirt as they probe but have not had a lot of luck so far.
On Monday, the team worked to continue removing dirt from around the Spyder, then in the early evening decided to carefully pull the car out of the remaining dirt.

"It was free everywhere except underneath there was a concrete slab wedged. We felt we had it in the best position, just like pulling a gun out of a holster. Everyone felt like it was best to take it so it wouldn't bend and break if we'd had it exposed more," Murphy said.

The team resumed recovery efforts early Tuesday morning, removing a large boulder that was lodged in the cabin of the Spyder and collecting bits and pieces of the car to help with any restoration or preservation efforts. The Spyder was removed from the depths of the hole around 9am CT, and is in worse shape than even the PPG Pace Car.

"We have always feared that as we dig further into the hole, that the cars would continue to be in worse shape," said Katie Frassinelli, Marketing and Communications Manager. "Unfortunately those predictions were accurate. The 1.5 Millionth has both a large boulder and a concrete slab laying on it. We anticipate that when that car is pulled out, possibly on Wednesday, that it's going to be in even worse shape than the Spyder."

While each sinkhole Corvette has a "story," that of the Spyder is one of the most interesting. The ZR-1 was not a convertible, but GM made only a few prototypes that were. This car was a full performance ZR-1 and was originally painted Sebring Silver with a Neutrino Yellow interior. It debuted at the 1991 North American Auto Show before being repainted black and having the interior changed to red.

"They didn't build a convertible ZR-1 to sell to the public. This is actually a car that General Motors took to different shows to show the car off," said Mike Williams, a member of the Museum's Facility team who's father helped build the car. According to a May 1991 article in Vette Magazine, "The ZR-1 Spyder represents the first time a concept car has ever been assembled on a production assembly line."

The car has many one-off features including custom billett aluminum wheels, a custom tonnau cover with waterfall (an influencer of the C5 Corvette waterfall), a chopped windshield half the normal height, lowered seats mounted directly to the floorpan allowing air to flow around your head, narrowed mirrors, side coves and a louvered hood. Mechanically, the Spyder is a stock 1990 ZR-1.
The underside of the Spyder's hood features signatures of all those involved in building the car. "They have not been able to retrieve the hood. We are still hoping they find it, but that's one of the big problems. When we displayed the car we wanted everybody to be able to see the signatures so when the car went in the hood was up, and it just snapped the hood off," added Williams.

Today, the team will be working to remove the boulder and concrete slab in preparation for removal of the 1.5 Millionth Wednesday or Thursday. The Spyder is now on display in the Museum's Exhibit Hall.

About Me

This 115,000 sq. ft. showcase to America's sports car features over 80 Corvettes showcased in periodic settings including a mid-century barbershop, service station and historic race track! See classics in mint condition, one-of-a-kind prototypes that never went into production & modern-day wonders of engineering and design. Interact and test your skills by fueling up and changing tires at the "Pit Crew Challenge" exhibit, enjoy a film in the Chevy Theater and see rare collectibles and memorabilia. Sit behind the wheel of a Corvette and register to drive one home. Enjoy shopping in the Corvette Store which offers a wide selection of apparel, collectibles, home and gift items. Open daily, 8am-5pm.